South Wales Weekly Post

■wuuna^Mooaoooomna ?CAMBKMM. ? PR?TINe WORKS,  I 211, HIGH ST., 9 ? SWAJWSSliL. I POOTERID, HANDBILLS, ) XAND SALE BILLS. | SmxmiomxxxxmxKf i ill ————————— J

The statement made in the latest instal- ment of the "Times" history of the war is substantially true—that the shortage of am- munition responsible for the Russian retreat from the Carpathian line was due to the complete destruction of the great Ochta arsenal near Petrograd, blown up with many thousands of skilled workmen by Ger- man agents. A disaster on this stupendous scale, supplemented in its effect by the con- current falling off in the Japanese supply because our Far Eastern Ally, confronted by possible trouble with China, had to fill its depleted stores, would account for the dra- matic transformation witnessed early in the summer when the Russians' offensive, main- tained for months, suddenly collapsed. It was remarked with wonder at the time that & great army which had been receiving an adequacy of ammunition for nine months does not usually become so bereft of it at phort notice as to be compelled to withdraw the heavier guns and send its reserves into Action, some armed with wooden cudgels and others directed to pick whatever wea- pons might be found on the battlefield. To a country so little industrialised as Russia,, where 90 per cent. live on the land jijid outside towns, the < loss of its principal arsenal, together with many of the relatively small class of skilled work- men, was a positive calamity. One recalls in this connection the information which trickled through months ago, despite the cen- Eorship, that treachery and corruption had added substantially to the difficulties ex- perienced in obtaining supplies. The truth JS that, apart from any such destructive stroke as that divulged in the "Times" history, there were and are domestic reasons as well as the geographical ones why Russia is handicapped in respect of guns and the munitions of war. With the Baltic and the Dardanelles closed to her, our Northern Ally has open only the badly-equipped port of Archangel and that of V iadivostock in the remote Far East, both of which become ice-bound in winter. Then her resources for home production, though potentially enormous, are but little developed, and industrially, as well as com- mercially, Russia was dominated by a class mainly German or of German origin. One of the chief stimulating causes of the pre- sent determination to make war to the knife against Germany is the strong desire which animates the Russians, from the Czar down to the humblest peasant, to emancipate the Empire from the control openly or insidiously exercised by the 'arrogant Teutons. It is unquestionable that the latter have been throughout the viar l sin ister influence <tp?!'sttag'tia?a?nst Russian mrcess, particu- iarlv?n Botand nnd the Baltic Provinceg. The knowledge of this hag intensified he hatred with which Muscovites- have for de- cade^, regarded the Germans vvho nave Jived and moved in the more industrialised p; rts of the Empire with the air of conquerors. Their certain expulsion, as the result of the war, will appreciably contribute towards making the world generally cold and un, geitial to a race that by its misie-eds has in- curred almost universal execration. People are amazed at the continued abil- ity of the Austro-Germans to place in the fteid an apparently limitless number of guns and fire off ammunition with a prodigality ruggesting positive waste. But it must be remembered that the enemy, besides accum- ulating enormous reserves, since the war was three years ago fixed for the autumn of 1914, after the harvest was reaped—fol- lowing the enlargement of the Kici Canal— organised beforehand every works suitable fo" adaptation to war purposes. And war itself nearly doubled their capacity to pro- duce by placing at the disposal of the' Austro-Germans the whole of Belgium, the most thickly populated country in Europe, together with the greater part of the indus- trial regions of Frapce. With characteristic disregard for international law and usage Germany, is compelling the adult population ot the territories occupied to assist in mak- ing the shells and bullets used against their own countrymen. Consequently the re- sources of Germany, Austro-Hungary, Turkey, Belgium and France are being drawn upon by enemies which commenced the war at their 'selected hour, with their arsenals overflowing. On the other hand, France was crippled by the enemy occupation of ten of her de- partments, and had virtually to recreate her factories; Russia, even if the Ochta Arsenal were left undisturbed, possessed only limited mat,s of manufacture, and Great Britain, by reason of a small army and long persisted Government neglect, was without the plant to make Trkunitions, except on a very limited scale.. Only a few years ago the reduction of the working staff at Woolwich drove over two hundred skilled workmen, to Essen for a living. In truth, despite the power to draw supplies from oversea, ensured by the fleet, the Entente Allies were so badly cir-. oumstanoed in the early, stages of the > war. that their safety was gravely imperilled. Tho value of the assistance yielded by America explain, the virulence with which the Western Republic was attacked by the German press, and the sustained effort, fey means fair and foul, to stop the supplies from the States. The diplomatic protests offered by Germany and Austria against -what--with tonguo in cheol,they denounce as unneutral conduct failed because the United States, like Great Britain, depends in case of war upon outside souroes of sup- ply, and because the AustroGermanic Powers put themselves out of court by habitttally selling guns and munitions to £ "-rents, as they did to Turkey and the Balkan Powers during the reoemt war, and to this country during the struggle in South A

If the Admiralty have some occult reason for refuging to disclose the number of German submarines disposed of-lleaving us to be content with the conspicuous facts of the immunity of the Navy and the military transport service from disaster, and the inappreciable losses inflicted upon the mer- cantile nlwine-it cannot cn any case apply to British submarine successes in the Baltic. It has been reported that the British sub- marines attached to the Russian Baltic Fleet have sunk the German pre-Dread- nought Pommern and torpedoed (with what success is not reported) the German battle- cruiser Moltke. Not a word has been pub- lished by the Admiralty upon either matter; and the only statement vouchsafed has been a reply in Parliament to a ques- tion, in which it was stated that the Rus- sian Government bad communicated the news of the Pommem semi -o.iffcially this rather a curious phrase to employ. The plafin question should be put to the Admiralty whether either of the feats 9T has beeh accomplished; and what commanders of the British submarines which are said to have attacked the Pommern and the Moltke?' And, moreover, what honour is to be paid to the British submarine offi- cers who are credited with having either sunk or temporarily disabled a German pre-Dreadnought and battle-cruiser?

The Tuxco-Bulgarian agreement has been signed, and the Turks are preparing to abandon the territory ceded, in the environs of Adriaiiople and along the frontier. M. Radoslavoff, the Bulgarian Premier, stated a few days ago that no political commit- ments were involved but we may be pretty sure that the Turk-an astute and wily diplomatist, if ever there was one, the antithesis of the German buffoon—has a substantial return of some. kind. It is useless to speculate what it may be, for this agre-emient by no means closes the. door on continued negotiations between Bulgaria and the Quadruple Entente. Until these negotiations are concluded satisfactorily, Serbia does not seem inclined to move her army one foot; and meanwhile winter iis fast coming on, not the most' favourable of seasons, even for the Serbians. Bulgaria ds being blamed for procrastina- on; but the delay is probably to be ascribed to the extreme complexity of the issues involved, the latent jealousies and heartburnings of the BaJkan peoples, .and the confusion of racial, territorial,1 and reli- gious claims. Failure of the Entente dip- lomacy would (indeed be far from surprising, confronted as it is by such a tangle. Meanwhile the cost of the Dardanelles ex- pedition has been disclosed. Up to August 21st nearly 88,000 British troops had fallen in that blood soaked peninsula—far more than the total strength of the divisions thrown ashore in April. Counting in the losses of the two French divisions of Colon- ial and negro troops, probably more than 100,000 Allied casualties have been sus-? tained. Of the British losses over 26,000 are dead or missing of the 8,400 missing there is not a, scrap of evidence that more than a hundred or two are prisoners in Turkish hands. The position is that the operations have lasted eight months; that they have probably cost over 100,000 men; that they have diverted large forces from Flanders—the vital spot of the whole thea- tre of war; and that they havevbeen of no use to anybody as yet. Until the Bosphorus and Dardanelles are in Allied hands the Gallipoli expedition is a liability and not an asset. It is impossible to believe that it was ever officially imagined tha-t the oper- ations would have cost us so much life and time, and have been, after eight months, ,yet inconclusive. For the facts are that at no single point has the Turkish main line of defence been -brea-ched. The August ef- fort was within an ace of victory, a decisive victory at that, but it failed and will have to be renewed under less favourable condi- tions, for the element of surprise has been eliminated. On the other haod» thodgh tlhem, has been no real success against the Turkish line of defence, there have been great losses in- flicted upon the -snp.my which have, according to Lord Kitchener, brought about demorali- sation; and his utter failure to eject us or to stay an advance that, though very slow, and slight, is none the less impressive in its tena.citv, may well have done so. Nve, shaji sec. ""The proof of the puddinig is in the eating." unofficial accounts of the state of the Turkish morale are hopelessly contra- dictory, and the reports favourable to us are suspect, as originating in a region, populated by the most notorious prevarioators on the face of the eartli-for such was the Levaintine's reputa- ticin for veracity. As to "munitionis," the Turks had enough to baulk our last great assault; their supplies may give out at the next attempt, or the next after that. We have reasonable ground, however, for sober- ly believing that they are in straits, de- pendent as they are primarily upon accumu- lated stores provided by Germany. But the proof of that—a disintegration of a stont and honourable resistance—is still to come. and honourable ret3istance-is still. to OCITYIO.

The Russians are na-ssing through the fiercest and most searching ordeal. In the absence of knowledge regarding the extent to which their deficiencies in munitions— especially shells for the heavy guns-and in equipment generally have been made good, and their enqrmous resources in vigorous manhood become available, it if, impossible to even approximately gauge the resistance that is being developed to the Austro-Ger- man invasion. The latter have the most imperative reasons for making supreme efforts, and at once, for every day brings them nearer to the Season of heavy rains, snow and severe frosts. The latest of thft official reports indicate that battle is being joined practically over the whole front, from Riga in the North and Tat-nopol in the South. From these, with their details of territorial gains and losses, attacks and re- pulses, emerge certain conclusions. In the North the Austro-German Armies after determined attempts, have forced the evacuation of. Vilna by enveloping move- ments threatening to encircle it. The reality j oi their advance on the converging lines is inclisputable. and in Russia a great battle t :-s believed to be impending. A curious situation is thereby being evolved, for the enemy, in imperil- ling the retreat of a considerable proportion of the Russian forces, are exposing them- selves to a dangerous counter-stroke, if our Allies are in a position to deliver it. The capture of Vilna. will give the Austro- Germans the main lateral railway extend- ing from Riga to Lemberg, conferring great strategical advantages, whether the decision be to seek Petrograd or Moscow, or both, or to hold the Niemen line over the winter months. With Vilna gone Riga is nearly bound to follow. In such circumstances the Pn-wians will be faced by formidable difficul- ties when in the spring the offensive is resumed. In the centre of the long Knc the enemy's progress is iiMonsideraMe and appears ? be Lcling: in the south Genial Ivammtch continues his success, and IS. heaVlY pounding at the Austro-Germans. In the course of a fortnight he praoticau-y anni- hilated an army corps, and captured over .60,000 prisoners with many guns- Dining the last few days he has added materially to his "catoh." Whether the Russians accept the general battle that the enemy has been trying for months to force upon them rather than sacri- floe the. Nieman land Riga, or continue sted- fast to the purpose of forsaking dangerous salients after exacting the fullest price for them by strenuous rear-guard actions, is a matter merely of conjecture at this .stage. It is palpable, however, that in pursuance I of the old plan of campaign or as a develop- ment of the new iour Allies are challenging with remarkable spirit and devotion the ad- vance of the invaders. In a sense the great "drive" organised by the latter in the spring, with the knowledge that Russian munition supplies had failed, is now re-,ob- the fighting during the next two or three weeks depends the verdict whether the grandiose scheme, oirganisied on a (xJossaS scale, is to figure in history as a gigantic triumph or a gigantic failure. Meanwhile, the Italians, who began the war at the foot of the mountains and are now securely placed on the summits, make steady headway. There are indications in the enforced withdrawal of the civil popula- tion from Trieste and the abandonment of other tovjBis that Cadorna. and his men are about to harvest the substantial rewards of a marvellous campaign. If, as suggested, the Austro-Germans make use of any troops relea.se-d from service in Poland to bear down upon Italy, they will find the armies of the latter occupying positions exceedingly diffi- cult to storm, more especially in view of the proved high efficiency of the Italian artil- lery. The enemy, in selecting Galioia, Po- land and Russia for the direction of a con- con)tra,ted onslaught, showed wisdom, siiuce the territories traversed are chiefly plains, in which intersecting rivers provide the natural defences. The impregnable lines of the Allies in France and Flanders, the mountain approaches of Servia, and the new Italian frontier established by expelling the Aus- trians from the lines selected by the latter and fortified at enormous expense, are less alluring to the enemy than the bwmd; Bevel allmi 'id Z by armies whoae vaSour and gTQMl leadership coftild not compensate for a grievous shortage in the means for making modern war.

| The vast struggle in the east and west of Europe is developing more and more clearly into a contest of endurance: and, unless the characteristics of the British people have undergone a fundamental change since the days of our forefathers-which we do not for a moment .believe—that is exactly the kind of contest which should fire our highest hopes and evoke our most confident endea- vour. It is exactly the kind of contest whidh we are, by nature and tradition, "cut out" to win. In organisation for, this war we stood, at its commencement, at the op- posite pole from our unscrupulous German foe. As Mr. Lloyd George has told us, the outbreak of hostilities found us, considering our Imperial interests and responsibilities, "the worst organised nation for war in the world." If we were the worst organised, the Germans were unquestionably the .best. The German War Staff had left nothing un- done, no detail unconsidered. Militarily, financially, industrially, administratively, they had prepared the German people for war as no people were ever prepared before; and by the issuing of an order they were able to launch upon unoffending Belgium and their too trustful neighbours such a war-machine as the world had never seen. But the German War Staff are dealing, after all, with limited resources. They are suffering now, by comparison with the Grand Alliance, from the original perfection of their preparations. The German first line troops were thrown into the field with infinitely greater rapidity and effect than those of the Allies on either front, with re- sotaiwbich,.we writ la.-ge.-Oft th., pof .Enrobe at the present time. The German' reserves were brought into line with even more marked rapidity. In equipment and machinery the German armies still possess, a great superiority over the British or any other of the opposing forces. These enor- mous initial advantages, which gained their immediate reward and which are still oper- ating both morally and materially in Ger- many's favour, have nevertheless their com- pensating disadvantages; and those f disadvantages are working ever more powerfully, and will, as time goes on, work ever more quickly on the side of the Grand Alliance as the struggle lengthens out from that short war upon which Germany so plainly counted, to a war of exhaustion, which all-round "staying" power must ulti- mately decide. That Germany counted upon a short war is self-evident; but that is not to say that she was not prepared for a long war. She w«i5 prepared, up to the limit of her resources; for every conceivable even- tuality. But her resources, let us repeat, must have an end. In men, unless the cal culations of the most competent authorities have gone astray, Ker last effective reserves are already drawn upon; while nothing like the full strength of her opponents is even yet equipped or trained. In munitions, un- less some incredible tragedy should inter- vene to perpetuate disorganisation and delay, the Grand Alliance will slowly but surely redress the adverse balance, and the day should not now be far distant when the preponderance will be found, in thca vital respect also, wholly against the Ger- mans. In money the enemy has, probably, (least hope of all of outstaying the Allies. A well-informed Dutch correspondent of the Spectator calculates that Germany has now only about £ M),<JOO,OQO left out of her average annual income to sustain 70,000,000 people. That makes less than RZ per head per annum. But Britain, according to the same authority, has a surplus of some £ 1,400.000,000 to sustain a population of 40,000,000. That makes over £ 51 per head per annum. Professor Scott, in his Presi- dential address to the Economic Section of the British Association, contended that if the expenses of the war did not exceed £l;OOO,QJO,OOO a. yeair (and Britain's average otitgaipgo have not as yet materially exceeded that figure) this country could finance such a war "indefinitely." It is quite apparent that Germany has been driven to the most desperate resorts to enforce the realisation, and even the anticipation, of her people's savings in exchange for "war- paper and it is calculated that she is, in point of fact, already bankrupt as to 84 per cent. of her existing liabilities. Girven the unshakable determination which essential to success in such a war as this; given the calm consciousness that the vic- tory can only be won at a. terrible price; given also the full understanding that the alternative to victory is -irretrievable ruin and disaster, we think the British people have good cause for encouragement in the signs of the times. But the authoritative pronouncements of the Prime Minister and the War Secretary, whose plain teaching is in strong contrast with .the confued clamour of irresponsible mentors who have no full knowledge of the dominant facts of the situation, have reminded us all that demands far exceeding any that have yet been made will have to be met both for the reinforcement of our armies and for the replenishment of their equipment on the field. The War Budget will give us an indication of the financial needs which require immediately to be supplied. What we have to understand ts that a great, united, nnexa-mpled national effort is, ahead of lis. We can reflect with confidence that our resources will in all respects be equal to the strain- But to sit with folded hands and tot up calculations of potential resources will never win the war. Our resources in manhood, in material, and in money must be translated from paper com- putatdrfwv* into effective factors in the triumph of the Allied cause. They must be mobilised for service. That way. only lies i< The adequacy of our armed strength upon land formed the staple object ot discus- sion in Parliamenttlli week. It raised issues of the gravest character, and the mea- sures that may be required to supipiement the number of men obtadned hold out the" possibility of sinister events, in Parliament, amongst the people, and with our Allies, who must realise that a crisis is created when Conscription is a living and press- ing issue. We have raised Armies, if not spirits, from the vasty deep; but when we seek to raise still further Armies the point arises whether they will come when we call them, as Harry Hotspur inquired of Glyndwr. "Upon t-ho-whole, one would say, however, that the voluntary systesm has not given us she numbers of men we need. and that rapidity of decision and action is most seriously desirable if we are to have enough driving power next year. We have, as far as we can learn, three million men under arms, and a million of these in France. Within the last few months eleven divisions have gone out to Sir John French, in addition to the forces he had previously under his command!, and there is good reason for accepting the Jour- nal de Debats statement of tIV British strength in France as approximately accur- ate. Striking off another million to pro- vide the essential 100 per oent. reserve for wastage, and we have but a million men left, who are absorbed in the Navy, the Home Defence Army, the Dar- danelles, the DiphratcN -rrisons in India, the oversea naval bases, etc. A million is too small a. total to allow for these categor- ies, and the conclusion forces itself upon one that our gross aggregate is inadequate, even allowing only a million men as our con- tribution to France. Now France, with less than thrbe-fourths of the population of the United Kingdom, has million men in the field. Obviously we are not doing our share in the common task in France, even with a million men in the field, and inadequate re- serves for this million at that. A million men, moreover, do not mean a million combatants. A division is 20,000 strong, but its strength should be counted as 12,000 rifles and 72 field guns and howitzers, or-whatevoor the amount of the attached artillery njay be. The remaining 8,000 men of the. 20,000 are made up of artillery (whose strength is to be reckoned in the guns the men work, not in the number of men working them), ambulance corps, engineers, commissariat, staff, etc., etc. A million men would mean in effect only some 600,000 infantry, and it is the infantry which has to do the actual stoffiming of the trenches. If there is not the most ample provision for wastage, onensive Movements will peter themselves out. Infa?hy battalions under th,eimelves out. Irtn fa t'* otted out in a iew certain conditions c&n ? Motted out in a few miwuites; losses of forty to fifty per œnt. are common. Fim?,"and inbact battalions must be thrown inM the sc&le ? as those set, like Uriah the Hit?i?, in the foremost 01 the battle, the losses of all have to be speedily made good in full. Mom? ever, one c&sua)ty & nnt? as two in aSect— a. man the less In.ttw?eM afmy? and a man jthe less in the Teserve army, taken out as substitute for the man who has fallen. The great bulk of the losses in &n offensive move- ment fall, moreover, upon the mffan?ry; not upon a mtlion m^h, oat upon the 600,000 men of that million who constitute the rifle- men. The remaining 400,000 men may not lose ten per cent, of their strength but when the infantry is crippled, the whole is? crippled. A .IIi ,:¡- fift A million men in France represent fifty divisions. What have been our actual losses in the war to date? The 380,000 men who have fallen constitue nearly 32 divisions of infantry, of three-fifths the above total. Yet in France alone we have sustained losses equivalent to 20 divisions of infantry with- out ever having had that total engaged at. one time. Neuve Chapelle cost us a divi- sion the landing aIt the Dardanelles an- other division. Over three divisions fell in the August battles in Gallipoli alone. These losses show the urgent necessity for immense reserves behind the actual forces in the field; and be it recollected that we have made as yet no offensive movement upon a scale comparable to that of the German, Russian, or French general offensives; that nine-tenths of the losses fall upon the in- fantry, who form only three-fifths of any given force; that the grave losses sustained by these three-fifths can paralyse the whole body, and not only the proportion of it which actually suffers them. Taking all the factors into account, even assuming that our field army in France is to be limited to a million-in all human probability it will have to be still stronger—there appears to I be a great shortage of men, which must be made good as speedily as possible.

Not only are there a Jericho and a Canaan on the East Side, but farther up a Bethlehem as well. An eligible yonng man (it is presumed) posting up recruiting bills is a thing "no fellah" can understand.  Judging by the at?nd&nce and bidding at the Swansea prop, arty sale yesterday there is plenty of money about. A young man was observed in one of the main thoroughfares of Swansea recently reading a mewspaper whilst riding a bicycle. The Charlie Chaplin craze is as strong as ever in Swansea. Punch" wittily de- scribes him a& trhe "chaplain" of the slackers. Daddy loii( £ -legs are said to be very plentiful in England. The common or gar- den fly is haviog thlt time of its life at Swan- sea just now, and fly-papers are the fashion. A thirsty merchant wistfully glanced at his remaining fourpence and said he won- dered what the Chancellor of the Exchequer would want out ef that. Wait and see." Probablv one of the youngest organists in Swansea is Mr. Arthur Williams, who preside at the organ at St. Catherine's Church, Swansea, and who is still an his teens. The Swaiiwa Central Police Station was besieged withjaliens of different nationalities on Monday. They were formed into a queue to await their turn to beregisteied. Babel wasn't in it! One of th £ -.platoons of the V.T.C. at Swansea has its own chaplain and doctor. The latter was very handy in a mishap which occurred during last Saturday's march to Penllergaer. The young knut who was scrutinising the Swansea Empire poster, Go to Jericho! and repeated the title, was startled to hear a feminine voice alongside him adjuring him to "Go to Jellieo-- I A Lou dm i' commercial traveller, whose district.s cover the most important provin-, cial centres, is ,of the opinion that Swansea is better csitered for theatrically than many .JkMNta three 'timef -ii*, size.

Where's the lump sugar gone to? We must search the small boya pockets. To railway travellers out of High-street, Swansea, the new police clock is allready proving a real boon. The Gower harvests are not yet reaped. Owing to the scarcity of labour farmers are helping one another, -<>?S?!  -?-  <?. The passing away shortly of the 2d. nips at Swansea is quite irrespective of any further possible Budget tax on spirits. The Iron and Coail Trades Review states there as no doubt America is taking more and more tinplate orders from neutral markets. <3x$x3xSxsx> Finest gentleman in Wales," was a comment passed at the Swansea Police Clock ceremony, as Sir John Llewelyn passed along with Lady Llewelyn and her friends. Mr. Diavid Roberts eulogised the attrac- tions of the Hill at the property eale yester- day. You have churches, chapels and shops there, just like town." Yes-and there are skicycles and trumpets, too. <Sx-xSx><Sx> The party who meandered into these pala-. tial premises on Saturday morning and wanted to know, with regard to the latest German claim, whether they could be said to be now "in the Pinsk," is missing., *Xx$xS><3x> At a Carmarthen inquest the otheB day the jury were sworn while standing on the pavement opposite the house where they were to view the body, the Coroner (Mr. Thomas Walters) mounting the doorstep to administer the oath. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ 4* Provision dealers are not making fortunes just now. A Swansea wholesaler in a large way says he has to give is. 6d. a 1-bt for butter which he retails at Is. 7d., and he has been buying eggs at seven for Is., and he sells them at the rate of six. We pay taxes cn order to support an Army and a Navy to protect us, yet when an enemy's air-craft oomos and damages our premises the person whose property is damaged has to bear the loss. Moral, don't pay taxes!"—(" London Kelt.") <* ♦ ie» ♦ *• Gower has a magic effect as a werranty upon local live-stock and produce. A visitor I fWa»><»v^t0Wever, nnacqnainted with the vaittam of the peransoia, ^hd upon becng shown an attenuated rabbit with the hall-mark, observed, e" Yes, and it looks like it. Watchers are watching the new Swansea | Police Station clock hi the hope, it is said, of detecting the precise moment when the two seconds a week are supposed to be lost. Yes, but the trouble will be, when the two seconds are found, what to do with them, There is a contrast between the vegetables in the local market to-day and those of only a few years ago. Now every stallholder has potatoes, beetroots, parsnips and carrots washed before putting them on the stalls. Is it a sign of competition, or simply cleanliiness? Swansea Guardians are still very divided as to the merits of margarine. Samples came before them at Thursday's- meeting of the Provisions Committee, and whilst some pulled wry faces over it and declared it was a pity to spoil good bread with it, others said it was lovely." <x5>Jx.xSxjv A strange tongue was heard in Winchester Cathedral on Sunday. For the first time in the history of that ancient edifice a Welsh service was held for the benefit of the thou- sands of Cymric troops stationed in the neighbourhood. A magnificent choir, col- lected from the various units, made the walls resound with sacred musio-sung as only Welshmen can sing it. Tickets for a public function at Swansea. Albert Hall some time ago did not work out so smoothly as anticipated. The invita- tion list was carefully drawn up and the police at the doors had instructions to re- fuse anyone and everyone without a ticket. It is said that half a dozen Councillors were excluded trom the function as a r'esult of mislaying their invitations. Their pleading at tihe doors was in vain. at the doors wis in vaiii. A very good story is told of a visitor from the Midlands to the seaside, who knew noth- ing about the action of the tide. He was standing on the beach watching a very fat bather disporting himself in the surf. He did not notice that each sucoeedino- wave came a little closer to his feet., At last an extra big wave washed over his shoe tops. "Hey, there!" he yelled at a fat bather, "Stop yer jumpin' up and down! D'ye want to drown me $ x$?x?<:5X  > The new Lord Jersey, who sat for the first time in the House of Lords this week and Iwho has such large (interests locally, ds descended from Sir Edward Vrlliers, hailf- brother to George Duke of Buckingham favourite of King Charles I. The family claims descent from the Vililieres, the lords of L'Me Adam, in Normandy, through a member of that house who accompanied the Conqueror to this country. The first earl's father was distinguished in the Civil War and it tis of interest that the third earl married a daughter of the first Duke of Bridge water, who was descended from Mary Queen Dowager of France and sister of Henry Vin. «?x8>-<$x5Xtx> There has not been an outstanding York- shire dialect part in stage plays since The man fra Sheffield in Sir John Hare's suc- cessful play, A Pair of Spectacles," but now one has arrived, and he is Joseph Quinney," the bluff, impetuous and lovable antique dealer and curio enthusiast, who boasts that though uneducated, his talk is full of meat and gravy. The great Haymarket success of Mr. Horace Annesley Vachell's comedy Quinneys' visits Swansea Grand Theatre, next week, with Mr. Frederick Harrison's own company and production. Fortunately no mistake has been made over this York- shire character, with the quaint quips and sententious sayings, which are an unalloyed joy, for Quinney will he enacted by Mr. Edward Irwin (an actor well-known in the country of the broad acres when with the late Mr. Wilson Barrett), and the son of the late qir George Irwin, a name and family con- nected for many years with Leeds. Twopenny nips will soon be things of the past at Swansea. The firststrike of the hour signalised four o'clock at the Police Station Clock opening on Thursday. Does the dog of Captain Lemberg (a de- fendant at Swansea Police Court) bark "Bow-wow" or "Wow-wow"? Mrs. Flower, of London, a niece of Gene- ra.l Botha, is amongst the visitors staying at Bournemouth Villa, Langland Bay. When a female defendant at the Swansea Police Court on Thursday was asked if she was guilty, she rsplied, "Not likely; no, gentlemen, God forbid." "i;- 0- J><i><1><? In the back-yard of a Rodney-street house/ there is growing a sunflower standing twelve feet in height, the flower being fifty-four inches an circumference. A British soldier, Corporal Gott, has re- cei ved the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The Germans will now have to "Strafe Gott," in place of "Gott strafe." > High prices were obtainable, at the Cheshire Cheese Fair, but the Swansea Guardians, at Thursday's meeting, declared that cheese was tumbling down in price." A Swansea man, who has had several of has chickens killed and partly eaten by an enormous rat, has named the rodent (amongst other things!) the Chancellor of the Exchequer Re the recent Guardians discussion, mar- j garine versus butter, 1 may say there are some very worthy people in Swansea, who, since the outbreak of war, have; decisively settled the point for themselves—they get neither !-(" Mark Once. ") Considering the number of assault cases amongst the female brigade on the Swansea. Police Court sheet on Thursday, one can't help thinking that although women are not fighting out at the front, they mean to do their "little bit" at the back. The recent big batch of Llanelly casualties from the Dardanelles shows a curious feature. Nearly all the wounded are drawn from the 4th Welsh, and nearly all the dead from other corps--Emginoors, S. W. Borderers, Canadians, Navy, Northamptons, etc. A (stallholder on Swansea sands enlisted the help of a man to give him a push with the cart up the Slip. He pushed one load, had a "sub." and decamped. Mr. Stall- holder tried another, who informed him that be could get money without work! It is astonishing the affectionate trust with which cats and dags folilow policemen on night duty all round the beat. One Swansea policeman improved on this one night recently he was followed by a hedge-hog, which gave hem the fright of his life. He mentally signed the pledge instanter! /$.4-1 No little credit is due to the young man, Phillip Rosier, of Port Tennant-road, Swan- tea, for bringing the body of the drowned swimmer Lloyd to the shore at Caswell on Sunday. He had to battle with the waves and the rocks, and when he got ashore he was much cut about the body and bleeding profusely. ?>-  0 <?-<!>-  Mr. William Terry (Gwilym Cynlais), of Ystradgynlais, who wou the award for the poem at the Foelcastyll (Carmarthenshire) Eisteddfod on Saturday, has secured no fewer than three chairs this year, after hav- ing been successful at two previous Eistedd- fodau. The subject of his successful work on Saturday was the sinking of the Lusi- tania. The literary staff of the Daily Post are pardonably proud of the continued suc- cess of a former member, Mr. A. Gordon Beynon, who in a few months rose from a private in the A:S.C. to Staff-quartermaster- sei'gesnt. He has latterly been employed in the Quartermaster-General's Department in the War Office, and will now be transferred to the 38th Welsh Division. For weeks past the Daily Leader" has been denouncing the Swansea Council for not eoonomising in the war spirit. The sincerity of the zeal is indicated by the fact that it has only jibe and sneer for those who tried to secure economy on an adequate scale. The Mond journal executed a Jim- crow movement to turn its back on the economists because of the discovery that the crusade cut athwart its main mission in life. In reference t-o the poverty in variety ,and quality of Gower fruit of all kinds, I would like to mention that I get a few con- signments of fruit from Gloucester every autumn, more than half of which kinds ,t is impossible to procure in Swansea at any price. The apples ARE apples, not crab apples. I have known seven fruit trses belonging to a careless farmer to be con- demned by him to be cut down, which, when they received proper treatment, yielded more fruit the following year th-i.i all the other trees in the orebard.-("Marlc Once.") A fine record of patriotism is held by a Llandilo family. Private B. Roberts, 2nd Scottish, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Rob- erts, late of Cambrian House, Llandilo, after fighting under Botha in German West Africa for about ten months, has volun- teered for service on the Continent. He is on his wa,v home from South Africa.. Mrs. Roberts' brother—Captain Oxenham—who is the son of Mr. Oxenham, late stationmas- ter at Llandilo, is in the Rhodesian Regi- ment. His son, Wyndham Oxenham, a clever linguist who could speak eight lan- guages, was in the Imperial Light Horse, and was killed whilst fighting against the rebels in South Africa. He was one of the representatives of South Africa at the Cor- onation of King George. Three other sons of Captain Oxenliam fought in South Africa against. the rebels, and have now offered to fight for the Mother Country on the Conti- nent. At the starting of the new Swansea public clock on Thursday, Sir John Llewelyn reminded those present that years ago Swan- sea was admirably served in the matter of time by a gUll fired by electricity from Greenwich. He remembered on the occa- sion of his being high sheriff that the judge of a?s?ze wa.s visibly disconcerted on tge op-ening dav by the sudden report of this gun. He thought an explosion had occurred in the precincts of the building. On the following day he thought it wise to pull his watch out and to say to the judge, "The clock is just going to strike one," whereupon his lordship retorted, "I know that to-day," in a tone which clearly showed he expected to have been warned on the previous day. Sir John also related amid further daughter a.n anecdote of an Irishman who was sudden- ly awakened from sleep on the foreshore by the report of the gun, and when told it was. mewiy thi 1 o'clock gun going off exclaimed, "How glad I am I was not here when it struck 12!" IrMumbles: "Somewhere a voic$ is calling, 'Water the wild waves saó)g'f" A man who discarded his straw hat baa eagerly taken to it again. He rescued it from his coal-hoie. No wonder the threepenny-bit is unpopu- lar. A Swansea man found a couple in him- boots the other evening. Have you wound the new clock up yet at Swansea Police Station? The winder is a handle reminiscent of a motor-car starter and an old-fashioned mangle handle. and an old-fashioi-ie-d inanglehandle. Mr. ^jrvr WaMers has been engaged for th L-w,44ni BaHad Con,(w-ts season, and saage at ? ')pan? concert on October 2nd. T payers arc Ventilating giiev- a-Ces. to the other half, of tbo com- munity they appear to be all lucky fellows. The Government motto for Recruiting: Wait-and C." The C will be upon your collar and stand for Conscript."— ("The Referee.") The protracted nature. oi the war has killed one section of the community-the prophets. The other variety still survive- at let in some people's profits. The Baroness Cederstrom, who is a mer- vellous example of well-preserved powers, attributes her exceptional health to her habit of taking nine hours' sleep. A limping Swansea dockitc is said to en- tertain. decided opinions regarding motor- cycles and side-cars. His better-half's view is said to be even more emphatic. A correspondent writes in a contemporary that the surest way to save money is not to spend it. An individual with nothing in his pocket ds wondering what he can safve in a week. Not a hundred miles away from Swansea. is a notice, "Trespassers will be shot." This is hard lines for the golf players near by who have the misfortune to lose a ball on the enclosed land. -< -< The unpopularity of the income-tax— amongst those who have to pay it-is lead- ing many a man to wish he hadn't got what he has. But the remedy is so simple. Give somebody else a chance of paying. "t. They tell me," remarked Mrs. Clifton Hill, "that the members of Swansea Cham- ber of Commerce are dreadfully behind the times. Why, they have not yet set their clock going." "Good Evans!" exclaimed Miss Alexandra Rode. Some of the Swansea lads in the 38th Divisional Cyclists had the job at manoeuvres ,of defending a country inn—the only one for miles—against men of the Cardiff and Gwent Battalions. The resistance was tenacious, the attack ferocious. A Swansea housowtfe purchasing a pair, of Ic- 's 'boots this woett'at 7s., was told that the next lot of the same kind that were coming in would be 8s. 6d. Things look decidedly black for the coming winter, as regards the professional class who get no wa.r bonus.. < X >-= >< S > 0 -<S> An interesting return just now would be the effect of war bonuses upon the cost of living. The workers axe .apt to look at the matter from the, opposite point of view, but there are some who do not quite see the gain of Is. increase in wages if it means that the purchasing power of the nimble bob immediately becomes ninepence. The maddest man in Mumbles is a coun- cillor who placed a bucket of water in the bathroom for storage, and, going into the room afterwards in the dark, kicked the bucket over and sat down in the puddle. And he was formerly a strong supporter of the Caswell scheme, too. yj Driver Sam tureen, of the R.F.A., has sent home to his wife, who lives in Rock- ingham-terrace, Briton Ferry, a unique memento of the war in the form of a scoop coal-scuttle, which he has made out of a German 18-pounder shell picked up on the battlefield and dated 1914. It is very neatly designed and made in every detail, even to the little shovel fitted in «t the back.  <<x?-<<-o??? | One young lady, and a pretty one to boot, who^-was selling flags at Briton Ferry on Saturday for the Russian Red Cross, failed, to sell one to a young gentleman, despite pathetic appeals. Not to be outdone she offered to sell him a kiss for a figure far in excess of many flags, and the young gal- lant, who could not further resist, paid up and took his reward, and so the funds were further augmented. -a -?>?>000<> t His polished hair was immaculately ? parted in the middle, and, gaudily attired in a tennis suit with blue blazer, he waved his handkerchief to the charmers on the Mumbles train as it passed along. So that, he did not observe, until too late, two small boys, one on top of the other's shoulders, having a joy ride on a bicycle, with no care for speed limits and no use whatever for a brake. Those on the Promenade were so glad at the mix-up. 4- The following lines, appearing in this week's Sunday Chronicle." will appeal to we in Swansea who know these men j Over the waters, whatever the toll, r The ships with their freights ?Lre sped. J The seamen are willing, the steadfast of fouL And calmly the stokers a!re piliDg on coal, That we in our Isle may be fed. I We hail them and tharak them with reverent lips, Brave men that go down to the sea in ships. -<Sxjx5xSx?xi> It seems incredible, having regard to the hard lot of many women who have to be at it from morn till night, running the homo amid the squalling of children, ono of whom is oftentimes in the shawl that is held by one hand whilst another is dragging at her dress tail-it seelins incredible, but it is a fact, that in the works' districts of Swansea a man is jeered at by his mates during the following week if he is seen carrying home his wife's basket of groceries, et.c., on 9 Saturday night. As one goes up the ladder of civilisation it is regarded as inhuman not to help the weaker sex. The new road between Brfton Ferry and Port Talbot, through Baglan, is a great boon to motorists, and cyclists and much appre- ciated. Those responsible for the improve- ment made one great mistake, however, in that they have failed to notify the ordi- nary traveller that the old road is not open to traffic, and have erected a barrier and barbed wire at the Baglan end. Several motorists have come a cropper at night, and there are likely to be legal actions to follow. The simpJe remedy (a correspondent sug- gests) would be a notice board at the Briton Ferry end of the old roa-d that it is not now a thoroughfare.